1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to controlling the motion of a legged robot while falling.
2. Description of Background Art
A humanoid robot falling from an upright (e.g., standing or walking) posture can cause damage to objects in its surroundings. There may be multiple objects in the surroundings of the robot. A humanoid robot fall may be caused due to unexpected or excessive external forces, unusual or unknown slipperiness, or the slope or profile of the ground. The fall may involve the robot slipping, tripping, or toppling. When the disturbances that threaten balance are larger than what the robot's balance controller can handle, the robot falls. Regardless of the substantial progress in humanoid robot balance control strategies, the possibility of a fall, however remote, remains real, even unavoidable. What is needed are techniques for reducing the damage to multiple objects in the surroundings of a humanoid robot when the robot falls.